Photonics meets AI

Location and Venue

The conference is hosted by the Abbe Center of Photonics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany.
Photonics meets AI
Graphic: Tung Nguyen/Pixabay

The conference “Jena LIGHT – Photonics meets AI” will take place at the Abbe Center of Photonics of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena:

Abbe Center of Photonics
Albert Einstein Strasse 6
07745 Jena
Germany

About the venue

Abbe Centers of Photonics of the University
Abbe Centers of Photonics of the University
Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

The Abbe Center of Photonics (ACP) is the academic center of scientific activities in the fields of optics and photonics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. Research and education in photonics is conducted in joint cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute Jena, the Helmholtz Institute Jena, the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, and the Deutsches Optisches Museum (D.O.M.). In the last years, ACP has become one of the leading European centers for research and education in optics and photonics as well as in the development and transfer of optical technologies. ACP is strongly engaged in young-career scientists' education via its integrated Abbe School of Photonics and sustains strong links with local industry partners as well as with the international scientific community.

About Jena

Light installation at Ernst-Abbe-Platz in Jena
Light installation at Ernst-Abbe-Platz in Jena
Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

Jena is a vibrant and fast-growing hub for the high-tech industry. With international players setting up, the city is internationally known as Germany’s “Optics Valley.” The secret of Jena’s success is rooted in its heritage as the cradle of Europe’s optical and photonics industry. Carl Zeiss, the world-famous lens and camera producer, began his pioneering work here in 1846. More than a century later, after the reunification of Germany in 1990, the internationally renowned company ZEISS re-established its base in Jena. The city is also home to iconic glass manufacturer Schott and global photonics manufacturer Jenoptik.

For a small university city in Germany, with a population of just 100,000, Jena is attracting a lot of international attention. Companies such as US global manufacturing services group Jabil Circuit, Israel’s technology group Orbotech and Switzerland’s ground-breaking engineering group Feintool have invested strategically in the region, which has enjoyed unprecedented growth in the last years. Today in 2024, more than 100 companies dedicated about optical and photonic technologies, many of them “Hidden Champions” and global players within their specific portfolio, have rendered Jena a famous high-tech location in the center of Germany which is unique concerning its sheer density of enthusiasts and experts in optics and photonics. 

How to get to Jena

By airplane/train

Jena can be reached by train from the Frankfurt International Airport (travel time appr. 3 hours) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (travel time appr. 2,5 hours).
Other airports are located in Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg (travel time appr. 4-5 hours).
Further (smaller) airports are located in Leipzig (travel time appr. 1 hour) and Erfurt (travel time appr. 30 min).

You can reach Jena either via the train station “Jena Paradies” or “Jena Westbahnhof” (both are very close to the city center). For further information and tickets please visit https://www.bahn.de/enExternal link

Local transport in Jena
Tickets can be purchased in every bus or tram or via the FAIRTIQ-App (App Store or Google Play Store).

Practical information

All times are Central European Summer Time (CEST) which applies to Jena, Germany. HereExternal linkyou can convert CEST to your local time.